Becoming the Creature
by Happytobehere5
Summary: First Fanfic that i've published. OC who gets dropped into ME, but different because she has been tranformed into a tiger. Like in Breaty and the Beast she must make another see past her animal form to return to being human.
1. Chapter 1

**Please be gentle with me this is my first fanfic that I had the guts to put on here. I'm really trying my hardest to make my story believable.**

**Disclaimer: No I do not own any of the LOTR characters in this story just my character Elita**

**Chapter 1**

I suppose this is the part where I describe who I am, what I look like, and that I am a LOTR fanatic that drools while she is watching any of the Peter Jackson adaptations. Well…. Sorry but I really don't have time for that. No, right now you, the reader, needs to understand that I am trying to portray all the events that happened to me as accurately as possible, and maybe I can keep my sanity as a bonus.

Now what was supposed to be a great day was going exactly as I had planned it. First, to start out with this was the inconsequential day that I had decided to break up with my present boyfriend. Now you ask how was that supposed to be a great day in any way, shape, or form? As the Dark Lord Voldemort was described was great, but terrible I use the word in the same loose terms. Thus, my day was great because it was to hold an event that was of upmost importance to me. Now back to the issue at hand…

"You… w-want… to break up with me?" asked the boy who stood in front of me. He was starting to tear up in the eyes… and as harsh as it sounds, I did not care. It was one of the reasons why I had to do it, because he made me play the role of man all too often. I had to ask him out, I was basically expected to take care of him out of college because his career would turn out very little pay, and now consistently I had been telling him in my mind to grow a pair before I needed a cane.

"Yes, yes I am," I heard myself answer. It was quite strange, I felt like I was witnessing this whole affair outside of my body and away from any emotions that I should have for the situation. Strange I suppose is one word for it, but it should have been my first ominous warning of what was to come.

"But we were going to get married, and have kids, and…" now the water works were at full power and there seemed to be no end in sight. Yet, it was those fateful promises that I had been waiting for… to launch my trump card!

"Do you remember at the beginning of all of this when we had a long talk about accepting the outcome if one of us changes? Well, here I am to tell you I have changed during my year away from you at college. I did try to warn you two months back," I was breathing deeply after such a long speech, "Clearly," I thought, "I do not talk enough to prepare myself for speech class next semester."

"B-but… We have been doing g-great up till noooowwwww," the last word turned into a wail and I decided I had had enough of the entire business so I turned on my heel, effectively silencing my new ex, and sped off to the parking lot so I could put this whole matter behind me. I had almost made it to my care when again I heard this god awful wail.

"Nnnoooooo ddoonnn'ttt lleeave mmmmmeeeeeeeee!" reached my ears while I was in between rows and judging by the cry's rapidly growing intensity my former boyfriend was running to catch up with me. I turned around to tell this lunatic to stay the hell away from me, but before the words could form on my lips this happened:

HONK! HONK! SREECH! (Tires squealing) and this dull thud that seemed so out of place when I know that really it only sounds this way to someone looking on at the sight. To the person who is actually experiencing it… well there's a lot more going on. Yes I did say that I heard the dull thud… not the bones cracking or the spine snapping or the limbs detaching, because by this time I was already completely outside of my body. No joke, I was some random ectoplasm hovering some ten feet off the ground that is looking at its former host be splattered all over the unforgiving asphalt.

"Well that's disgusting…" is what I said out loud (Is it really out loud for a dismembered spirit? I mean no one should be able to hear me) before I heard a heavenly voice. I only really describe it as heavenly because I can almost… almost hear a harp playing in the background in perfect sync to the words and their intensity.

"Yet you are not tearing yourself away from this macabre sight," reasoned the voice. At this I swiftly (Again how can I be very swift if I am ectoplasm?) turned and faced this new presence and then the light flooded me.

"What and who are you?" I demanded as I squinted into the light that was of immeasurable magnitude, all the while trying desperately to discern a figure in the light. I had no such luck for the light seemed to completely engulf my spirit and pulled me away from earthly death scene.

"I am me and me is willing to give you a second chance at life and maybe love if you are up to it?" the great and obviously powerful being challenged.

"Why would you want to give me a second chance at life much less love? I'm the one who should be to blame for the failure for most of my past relationships," I asked this magnificent being while not completely believing that even it had enough power to give this incredible offer.

"I am not altogether sure why I am choosing you… Maybe because I just wanted to have something more interesting to watch than all of those Mary-Sue plots. Maybe I just want to see you fail even at your second and last chance," the being proclaimed.

"You really do not have any choice in the matter anyway so I will try to keep this as simple as possible so that you may process it. I am going to send you somewhere besides your old world to avoid the complications that come from being one of the undead, but I will make it a world that should not be entirely unfamiliar to you. I will also make it so you can speak the language as a freebie. But my best amusement will be that your body will be transformed into a creature of my choice. You must find love in that world and 'earn their love in return' before well… before I loss interest and before I forget your name will no longer be that which you were Christianized with, it will be Elita," the voice explained and now I could start to see the light fading quickly all around me and being replaced with an impenetrable darkness. I now understood that I must have been cast into hell and am now being punished for all my past sins. "Well here goes nothing," was my last thought before the darkness consumed me.

Please review. Especially if there's some major problems with it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything**

**All thought will now be in italics**

**Chapter 2**

I woke up slowly like I normally would on a day of class. My head was still fuzzy… Why though? Why was it so hard to remember yesterday? I could feel the morning light hit my eyelids because I was again sleeping on my back. I realized that once again I had lost my sleep mask during the night. _It is always so gosh darn hard to_ find I thought. When I brought up my right hand to rub the sleep out of my eye I was met with something unexpected… something fuzzy… I started to freak out that my hand was growing some sort of fungus. My eyes finally came into focus and I realized it wasn't my hand at all. It was a PAW? I looked at my other hand and was met with the same result. I noticed that the fur ran up my arms and disappeared beyond my view. I looked down my body and saw that it too was covered in the thick cream colored stuff and my feet… my poor feet that would never again wear those rockin high heels again, were paws as well. My surroundings were strange to me as well. I could not remember a wood that looked so untouched before.

_Ok no need to_ panic I reminded myself _Panic is the enemy and I am probably just dreaming anyway so why freak out?_

I then tried to discern what manner of creature I was. Big paws on the hands and feet, cream colored fur, and what looked like stripes on the part of the shoulder I could see. _Am I? _but I didn't finish the thought when I smelled something. _Something musky, probably an animal._ I sniffed the air delicately then realized that I was the source of the foreign odor. _Oh that was smart…. Real smart._

Then I smelled something different, it had a musk so it was an animal, but it had the twinge of grass to it. I rolled over onto my stomach and took a stab at standing on all fours. My bone structure was a little different than a human's so I was having trouble doing the simple task of standing. My legs were a little wobbly and I made a little more noise than really needed, but the result was satisfactory… I had stood up. Ok so that's not really a great accomplishment but what do you expect? I worked my legs to turn my body towards what was giving off the scent I had found earlier. I spotted a doe in a clearing not twenty feet from where I was standing. She must have been alerted by my attempts at standing for now she was in full alert. One look and she was gone, bolted before I could do anything. I walked over to where she had been standing and found a small pond, the reflection that greeted me was not unexpected. I was a tiger, an overly large tiger even if I was full grown. My coat which I had assumed to be cream turned a deep orange as it traveled up my arms and onto my back. I had the characteristic stripes that framed my face and long white whiskers. I tried to figure out what was bothering me about my appearance. I looked like a normal tiger even if I was huge… there just seemed to be something out of place. Then I noticed my eyes which should have been some shade of yellow or amber, but instead they were a grayish-blue that I had thought I had left behind in my last body. They looked too human on the face of what was known to be a man-eater.

I bent down my head to the pond to satisfy the thirst I hadn't noticed till now. I got down to the water's surface and realized I didn't know what to do. I tried to slurp it but my tiger lips could not create the suction that I needed. _Well house cats lap it up with their tongues._ I dipped my tongue into the cool water and tried to scoop it up. It was very hard to do so and I had to mentally move my tongue into the water, scoop, and back into my mouth. After a couple of minutes I pulled my head back up from the water, a little frustrated, but ultimately satisfied.

I took another look at my reflection and then the memory of the accident. My mind started processing the memory at a mile a minute. _'Creature of my choice' was a tiger? And what was that name that it gave me? Elita? Yes that had to be it. What was I supposed to do to make IT interested? And what did it mean by 'A world that should not be unfamiliar to you?'_

There were too many questions to answer and I didn't know where I was at all. There wasn't any obvious path close by that I could see. Then my ears perked up as I could pick up something like footfalls, but their pattern was too complex for a creature on two legs, it had to be something on four._ Oh god I hope it isn't predator_ then I realized what I had thought and wanted to smack my head into the closet tree. What would possibly want to pick a fight with a very big cat all by itself? Gathering up my courage I tried to pick my way silently towards the footfalls. That was easier said than done since I was new to four legs, but as I drew closer to the noise my legs grew steadier under my massive weight (I'm sure it has to be massive to be that large of a tiger) and the noise of my footfalls all but disappeared under my padded paws. I'm not sure if that's what you would call instinct, but I'm sure I do not have much of it as a twenty year-old in a tiger's body.

I kept picking my way through the forest; the trees weren't too close together so it was easy going. _It's a lot farther off than I thought_ I reasoned _and I don't think I was made to do long distance even if I am in a fitter body. Do I still have asthma in this body?_ After a while I noticed that I wasn't getting winded as I would have back in my old world and everything around me stayed in sharp focus.

As I finally got close to the sound I smell blood. _Maybe it's wounded, but by what and is it coming back?_ My queries were cut off as I spotted the source of the footfalls; it was a normal sized wild boar. It was walking on a small path and on its tusks was a small amount of blood, like it had got into a fight, but probably had only scratched the opponent. It wasn't limping nor had any noticeable disability._ Maybe I should leave it alone, it doesn't look very happy._ A rumbling in my midsection indicated that I had not eaten in a long time. _I am supposed to be a hunter. A man-eater. I should be able to take down this boar; it's even smaller than me._ I padded onto the path behind the boar a ways behind it. Adrenaline rushed to my head as I realized I was really going to do this. I could feel my claws moving into position to latch onto the boar's hide. _I have never hunted in my life, but I believe tigers would use the first bite to snap the spine, yes that seems like the best way to start._ I crept up behind the boar was it continued to walk unaware of my presence, then I took a final leap and sunk my teeth into the boar. Instead of getting the spinal cord in the neck I got the part of the side. _I really do make a poor hunter._ The boar went wild at this and whipping its tusks around to leave gashes along my side. At the feeling of blood flowing of out of me I pushed myself backwards and out of the range of those dangerous tusks. The boar turned and I noticed it was a little slower now having been bitten and its blood was freely flowing out of the wound. Of course, this was not going to stop a boar now that it was mad with rage. I thought through my predicament in what little time I deduced that I would have now that the boar was making itself ready to charge.

Then both I and the boar were in for a large surprise as we heard, "YOU FILTHY BOAR! COME BACK HERE!" accompanied but the footfalls of a galloping animal, If I had to guess a horse and a rider.

_The boar must have been gotten the blood from this person coming up behind us_ I thought as it turned tail and started running again. I looked to the nearest tree and threw myself at it hoping my claws allow me to climb up. I barely had gotten into the broad leaves before I watched the rider fly past under me, unaware I was following him with my eyes. The rider had a broad sword drawn and a shield on his arm. He was oddly dressed with a long fur cloak waving dramatically behind him. _What world did that thing send me too?_ I gave a quick glance at my wounds and saw that I had been a coward to let go so soon, the blood was already clotted up. _What a big pussy cat I am._ I leapt down out of the tree and hit the ground with only a little jarring of my bones. _Looks like I'll get the hang of this yet._ I urged my limbs to race after the two before I couldn't smell the blood anymore.

It wasn't long till I heard a whining of something dying. I crept up in the bushes alongside to watch the boar's eyes glaze over. I had never seen something die like that before. It was really a gruesome sight with the warrior's sword sticking out of its back. He made quick work of skinning the boar and getting a fire going to roast it. During this I realized I was drooling over all of the red meat. I was starving and I saw the man throwing the intestines in the bush right next to me. I sniffed the intestines disgusted at my desire to eat them, but I did anyway. To my surprise they were very juicy, but that wasn't enough to satisfy my hunger. Night had already fallen so the man had set up camp and was settling down for the night.

I could really see his face clearly now. He seemed to have darker, maybe reddish hair. _Or was that just the firelight?_ He had a sort of mustache with a goatee which was the same shade of dark red as his hair. His clothes were quite unusual. It looked like a long tunic with a set of pants, but I was no fashion wizard. You could tell most of the outfit was made of leather, but there was some chainmail peaking out at his elbows above his gloves. He had finished setting up his campsite and the boar meat was slowly cooking on the fire; I saw him open up his tunic which previously I hadn't noticed had a tear with a dark stain. _Blood,_ something clicked in my brain. The man was now taking off his chainmail shirt then along, cotton shirt and you could see an ugly, but not particularly life-threatening, gash on his chest. His chest… I had already seen a guy's bare chest before but never one so well developed with muscle. At least not in person. My face heated up till I mentally slapped myself _Stop it You don't even know him._ He applied some sort of cream to the gash and then carefully put back on the cotton shirt. I watched him as he ate a large amount of the boar meat and then bunked down for the night. I waited even longer till I could tell his breathing had evened out. Then I picked my way out from the bushes. First, I looked at the man's horse that was nearby. The horse would probably wake up before the man did. _Wonder how I can calm it?_ I got onto my belly and crawled over to the side of the horse; he lazily opened up his eye and studied me for a minute. I remained perfectly still, not wanting to alarm him into waking up his master. He turned his large nose over to me and sniffed my face, against all hope he snorted in my face and turned his head back to sleep. Taking this as a sign of approval I quickly got up and started to inched my way to the meat the man hadn't consumed. All the time keeping an eye on the man and the sword that lay next to him. _Easily assessable if he wanted to use it._

I just had lifted the meat up off the ground in my mouth when a bone fell off and hit the ground. The man immediately woke up, unsheathed his sword, and hard start towards me. _Serves me right for stealing I guess._ I dropped the deliciously tasting meat and started to circle around the camp site watching the man do the same.

"We could talk this out you know," the words tumbled out of my mouth for no reason other than I was nervous. I really didn't want to die again, especially not the same way as the boar.

I shouldn't have worried though because as that one sentence left my mouth the man almost dropped his sword in his surprise_ 'I will also make it so you can speak the language'…_ How could I have forgotten that? _I guess most animals don't talk here. _As if to prove a point his horse woke up again and snorted in our direction.

"Y-you can speak?" He blurted out. DING DING DING we have a winner.

"I guess I can," I shrugged, "do most animals not talk here?"

The man drew himself up to his full height and sheathed his sword, "None that I have encountered, Do you have a name animal?" he asked pompously.

"It's Elita," I answered. I could now see a crest on his leather tunic near me. A crest of a white tree. Something nagged at the back of my mind, but I could not place where I had seen such a crest before.

"Are you native to this region, Elita the thieving cat?"He taunted.

"No I don't believe so, are there other cats like me anywhere?" I countered. He looked at me for a moment obviously trying to remember and then he had said.

"I have heard of such cats in the deep south beyond my country, but the land is so barbaric that none of my kinsmen travel there," He answered with tact.

"What is your country? Are we in it?" I asked eagerly… _Maybe I can get my bearings._

"No, we are not anywhere near my country, who are you that you do not even know where you are?" His curious eyes, gray eyes, were focused on me so intently.

"I-I don't rightly know, but I asked you a question first," I stammered.

"My country is that of Gondor." Everything clicked into place in my mind. _Gonder… so this is Middle Earth_. I used to be a fanatic of the Lord of the Rings when I was younger, it was more acceptable to society then. As I got older I read less about it, fantasized over it less, and eventually rarely even thought about it. _The crest of the White Tree should have given it away_. I then remembered '_I will make it a world that should not be entirely unfamiliar.' So that's what the sly old dog meant._

The man was looking at me even more strangely as I was staring into space and working all of it out in my brain. "What is your problem?" He asked not too kindly. _He's still wary of me. I guess that's to be expected._

"Please, I'm not going to attack you, I was just hungry," to empathize my point my midsection growled. The man just looked at me and nodded towards the rest of the meat. I took that to mean I was welcome to it. I sat down and started to tear into the tender flesh. For some reason, now it didn't taste right. _Maybe I need fresh meat like a real tiger_. After the last bite was gone I licked away the oil that had formed on my paws. The man sat down cross legged in front of me. He didn't say anything, just sat there, staring at me, studying me. I tried to reason in my mind who he was. _White Tree… traveling far away from Gondor… warrior…. That's not much to go on, but it couldn't be __**HIM**__ right?_ I finished my cleaning and I could feel my stomach was satisfied now. But my mind wasn't.

"I've told you my name," I stated, breaking the silence, "Now what is yours?" I'm not sure if I was hoping it was him or hoping it wasn't.

He threw out his chest as he said "I am Boromir son of Denethor and Captain of the White tower of Minas Tirith." _I was right... I have now met Boromir, one of the fellowship who will… die._ I pursed my lips.

I asked the question that was foremost on mind, but the one I already know the answer to. "Are you heading to Rivendell?" the name felt strange on my tongue, I hadn't talked about LOTR in many years, but I remembered most of it.

Boromir's eyes widened again in surprise, "How'd you know?" His mouth was slightly open.

"That is a long story," I smiled slightly; _This could be a long and interesting night._

**Like it at? Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Again I don't own anything LOTR**

**This thought just occurred to me today so I wanted to make sure everyone understood me there is not going to be anything remotely concerning beastality in this fanfic none zipe nada because that's just gross**

**Chapter 3**

I woke up the next morning feeling groggy and smelling absolutely terrible. I stood up and walked over to a stream by the camp. It looked fairly deep with beautiful, clear water. _Now this is getting back to nature_. Without another thought I jumped in. The water was absolutely freezing, even with my thick fur, but I loved it anyway. After some good scrubbing, I managed to get the most of the dried blood out of my coat. The dark liquid floated lazily down the stream and away from me. _Now my DNA will be all over Middle Earth… well at least a tiger's DNA. _Splashing around and drinking up what I wished. Back on Earth I loved to swim when I could. _Earth… I don't know how much time has passed, but I'm sure my entire family has heard that I was run over. They could be identifying my body for all I know. _My train of thought was interrupted but the crunching of leaves by the bank.

There was Boromir in his full uniform again, with a water skin in his hand. Now that the sun was out I could tell his hair did have a reddish tint, not much, but it was still there. "Are you done splashing around so I can get some water?" I couldn't tell if he was being haughty or not, but I didn't care. Though I'm sure he was still having trouble believing what I had told him last night. It must seem so silly to him in the morning that he listened to a talking tiger. I had told him, point blank, everything that had happened to me up to that point. I even told him a little about my old world and how this was all just a story back home. I should've seen it coming, but I was still caught off guard when he asked what was going to happen in the future. I just shook my head and said I wanted to talk to Elrond or Gandalf first. I felt a little guilty, but I knew it wouldn't be a good idea. _I could screw everything up, Sauron could win._

I got out of the stream and shook out my fur right beside Boromir for good measure. He immediately glared at me as I stuck up my nose and made my way back to the camp_. _As I came up upon the clearing, I noticed that the fire was still visible and Boromir's sleeping mat was still out. _I doubt that I can help him pack without thumbs and I don't know if he still wants to use the fire._ Then the call of nature hit me like a ton of bricks and I sped out of the clearing to relieve myself. Upon moving myself far enough away from the path I realized I didn't know how tigers, or cats for that matter, went to the bathroom. _Dad why couldn't we have had a cat? _was my last thought till I couldn't hold it in any longer. _Ahhhhh…_ _Well that was pretty easy. I'm glad tigers have adapted so that they don't spray themselves._

I walked back to camp to find Boromir almost ready to leave. The fire still hadn't been covered so I used my paw to scrap dirt onto the dead embers. Boromir only turned and nodded, then shouldered his pack and mounted his horse.

We walked in silence for a very long time. I'm not much of a talker on a good day, but I would have thought he would have talked. The path gradually got wider and the trees began to think out._ More people come through here I guess._ I could hear the birds up in the trees chattering away. _Probably about me. Probably saying "I twat I taw a puddy tat!"_ The mere thought of cartoons made me think again about the home I had left behind. _My family, all my friends… I'll never see them again_. I hadn't even completed college yet.

We continued to walk and I continued to think about my home till Boromir jarred me out of my thoughts…

"We're not going to stop for a noon meal, We'll reach Rivendell soon enough," He informed me. "In the meantime," He glanced down at me, "What are you going to tell Elrond when you get there?"

"Nice try, but I'm not that naïve. I am not telling you anything about what could happen," I countered.

"Could happen?" He asked snobbishly, "You have read these books from this 'Tol-kin' and now you're saying you're not sure of what's going to happen?" Now I could definitely tell he was sneering down at me.

"All I'm saying is that the future could be changed because I am in existence here. Or maybe that's the reason why I am here," I concluded. Boromir snorted, last night he was very interested in the being that had taken me here. Thought it was a god of Middle Earth called a Valar. I had remembered vaguely the term being used when I was reading the books, but I had altogether forgotten about them. _What else was going to happen that I couldn't remember? Did that Valar have an actual reason to bring me here?_

The last couple hours dragged by till the trees disappeared entirely and we were suddenly on the cliff's edge gazing down into the Valley of the Elves. It was one of the most beautiful places that I had ever seen. Boromir noticed my wide eyes.

"Minas Tirith is even more wonderful than this when the first morning light strikes its glimmering walls." He said, his voice thick with his infamous pride. I almost rolled my eyes. "Though I suppose if you have never been there, then you could be overwhelmed by this." _I kinda wish I would've found Legolas or Gimli to travel with. They would have been more entertaining._

We picked our way down along the spidery walkway as it opened up into a courtyard. Two parties had just arrived before us and were getting ready to go up into the rest of Rivendell when they turned to look at me and Boromir. They had been careful to stay well away from one another till they spotted us, then all hell broke loose. There I was, a giant cat standing beside a man on top of a horse. I guess I cannot fault the two parties for reacting as they did. One of the elf party drew an arrow faster than I could blink. It was literally all I could do to jump out of the way of the projectile. All three dwarves had their weapons in hand and were charging for me. Boromir jumped down of his horse, sword drawn and shield in hand, to meet them.

"Whhoaa, hold up there! I'm not here to eat you," I yelped just before the elves or dwarves could do any more damage. They looked even more alarmed now, but did not continue to attack. I eyed the warriors before me. Now that there wasn't any immediate danger I realized just who these warriors were. _I guess it __wa__s a good thing I met Boromir rather than Gimli or Legolas. _Before any party could say anything two more elves rushed into the courtyard to stand between Boromir and the dwarves.

"Enough, there is no reason fight here. These travelers are already known to Lord Elrond," one of them explained. "Come, both of you to your rooms."

One elf led us away from the courtyard and the distrustful people still there while the other took Boromir's horse. Boromir and the elf started to discuss something in a hushed voices, but I didn't care to listen in. It was only after their conversation seemed to be finished that I spoke.

"So… Elrond told you… we'd be coming?"

"Yes, Lord Elrond informed us that a human would be arriving with a large cat," He said, "Though we had no idea just how large you would be," he added. "We prepared you a nice place to stay… I didn't think about this before, but would you like to have your room close to Master Boromir?"

"No, it is fine with whatever room you have prepared," Boromir cut in before I could. I bristled at his use of words. I remembered when I was little, I had always thought that Boromir had to have been nice underneath, but now I was beginning to have doubts. _But he was ready to fight those dwarves off… though they weren't going after him_ a small voice in the back of my mind said.

We walked down a couple of corridors and took a couple more turns till the elf stopped and opened the door on our right. "This will be your room, Miss errr…" the elf's smooth voice suddenly stumbled as he realized he had not been informed of my name.

"It's Elita and thank you," I smiled (Or tried to smiled, I'm a cat remember?) as the attendant left the door open and told Boromir to follow him. I looked around my new room. It was very airy with a large balcony and an extra large bed. It was a little small, but it would do_._

"Who are you?" a inquisitive voice by the door asked. I turned around slowly as to not alarm my visitor, but still get a good look at who it was. I had to look down to see what looked like a little child. Then I saw his bare hairy feet, _A hobbit I wonder which one this is?_ He looked like he was still in his normal shire attire, but that doesn't mean anything. I gave up guessing and asked.

"My name is Elita, and who are you?" I asked

"My name is Meriadoc Brandybuck, but it's really just Merry for short," He smiled at me like I wasn't some huge cat, but just any other person he had met on his travels.

"Are you not afraid of me?" I asked curiously. Merry just cocked his head at me.

"I suppose I should be, but I mean the elves gave you a room, so they trust you," he tried to explained, "So I just assumed I could too."

Then the onslaught of questions began. What exactly was I? How did I come to be here in Rivendell? Could he ride on my back? I told him I was called a tiger and that I had traveled with Boromir, which wasn't a complete lie. He pressed for more information, but to distract him I sat down so that he could get reach my back. He scrambled up without pulling out too much of my fur.

"Hey can I ride you over to my friends? I would be Meriadoc the Beast Tamer!" He said cheerfully as I stood up. He was so light that I barely could feel his added weight.

"As long as you lead the way, I have no idea where I'm going." Feeling Merry cling tightly to me I added, "And don't choke me, giant cats have to breathe too. Just hold onto the fur."

We exited the room and Merry provided excellent directions and we soon came into a very large open balcony. I noticed the other hobbits were sitting on some benches so I walked up to them.

"Hello my fellow hobbits! Look at the beast I just tamed!" Merry said theatrically while spreading his arms wide. I rolled my eyes and shook myself so that he was forced to hang on for dear life.

"A beast Sir? Tamed Sir? I think not," I laughed. Merry joined in and got off my back as I got back down onto my stomach. The other hobbits had finally gotten over their shocked and had decided to come over to me. What I assumed to be Frodo and Pippin came straight over, while Sam hung back a bit. I only assume because Sam looked a little bigger in girth than the other two hobbits. Not that I have a right to judge based on size.

Frodo and Pippin gave me a similar set of questions as Merry. I recognized that I wouldn't be able to shrug off the question of how I came to be here so instead I told them I should talk to Lord Elrond before I answered such a question.

"If you want to talk to Elrond, he's stilling in a meeting with Gandalf. You'll have to wait," Frodo said merryily. For a moment I felt so sad for this cheerful little hobbit, he had already endured so much to get here, but what would happen next would scar him for the rest of his life. I shook off this morbid thought and asked for the four hobbits to tell me about themselves. I already knew a little bit, but it's nice to hear stories from a different point of view. All four hobbits sat around with me and supplied enough information for several books.

As time passed Sam crept closer and closer to me like he was studying me. _He still doesn't trust me._

"You know you could really help me out Sam if you would scratch my ear, I can't reach it easily," I stated, jarring Sam out of his daze. He laughed, then reached out his hand and started to scratch. _Ahhhhhh so this is how a cat feels like _I sighed.

The sky had started to darken, but just as I had lost hope of seeing Elrond tonight an elf came to me telling me to follow her. I got up, promised to see the hobbits later and went after the elf. We traveled back into the maze of corridors. _I'll never be able to find my way around here _I whined in my mind. We finally stopped at a doorway which the elf motioned me to go through. I did and found myself face to face with not only Elrond, but Gandalf too. _I feel like I'm at the principles office._ The grave looks on their faces disappeared as they invited me next to the fireplace and bade me to tell them how I came to be here. _This is what I've been waiting for._

"I don't really belong in this world to start off with, I came…"

**Like it at all? Review if you feel bored I know I barely do**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! I don't have anything else really to announce except thank you to all those who reviewed I really appreciate it.**

**Can't remember if I've done this lately, but ****I do not own anything in LOTR**** though I wish I did**

**Chapter 5**

We discussed my situation far into the night. The little sun that had been out when I went in to confer with Elrond had now disappeared to be replaced with silver moonlit. Elrond and Gandalf were both shocked at how much I knew about the events that were happening in Middle Earth. I decided that it couldn't hurt so I also told them about the books and movies that were made. They both asked many questions of me, so much that my head was starting spin. The bright cheerful fire that was my only reliable source of light was now starting to be the source of my headache.

I rubbed my head with my paw, "I have not read the books for so long that I didn't even think about Middle Earth when that… **thing** talked to me," I confessed.

"So you are unhappy that it choose to bring you here?" Gandalf raised his eyebrow. Out of the two, he had been the most silent. Always listening, but he was ready to give his two cents at any moment. His long gray beard obscured his face and dashed any hope for me to tell what he was thinking.

"No, not really, I'm just confused it choose this place out of all others," I said. It seemed like these were ridiculous questions to me, but they were a lot wiser and older to me so I did not talk back. _I'm sure in the morning this will all make sense_ I thought as the pounding in my head just got worse.

"Then you were chosen to be here, to do something here," explained Elrond. I wasn't convinced.

"But I asked it, it just said that basically I was its play thing… for its own amusement," I'm not normally a crier, at least not in front of others, but the stress and panic I had been holding back the last couple of days started to creep up my spine and take a hold on my heart. I could feel my eyes burning and my throat start to constrict. I blinked a couple of times to make sure I would not be making a scene tonight in front of my hospitable host and old role model.

"The Valar do not use us as playthings," Gandalf said sagely, "Nor do they move people without purpose. I assure you that they have a plan for putting you here. Only you will be able to determine what that plan is though I'm afraid," he said and I could tell he was smiling through his beard. It was contagious and I could feel the muscles in my face trying to grin back.

"Now I believe it would be good for you to get some rest Elita. You look like you need it," Elrond stated. I'm sure, even as a tiger, I didn't look too good. The personal cat grooming wasn't something I had picked up on yet. _Licking off the dirt just doesn't sound appealing yet._ The corridors were even more confusing in the dark that I didn't even try to memorize how to get back. I just enjoyed the brief bits of moonlight that I got through the open walkways. The rays would bounce off smooth white wood that the walls were made of and made you appreciate the elven woodwork all around you. It almost added another dimension to the artistic labor that you could never have seen in during the day. I could faintly hear singing far off in the distance. It sounded quite nice, but I could not make out the words that were being sung. I always thought that an elf would have a higher voice range, but this… it sounded too deep… too human for an elven voice. _But it's still beautiful._ I was still straining my ears to catch the words of the singer when Elrond stopped abruptly in front of me. It was a close call, but I managed to run completely run into him. He turned towards me and with a nod of this head he bade me goodnight. I returned the pleasantry and walked into my room. Elrond closed the door behind me, careful enough to not catch my tail. I didn't waste any time with pulling back the covers but promptly flopped on top of them and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up and felt very refreshed. It might have been fact that I got to sleep on such a soft bed, but I think the real reason may have been that I had dreamed of that voice singing to me. It sounded so nice, unlike anything I had heard from the boys back on Earth. Like the night before I wasn't able to catch the words… or I just didn't remember them. _But it was just a dream._ I pushed the voice to the back of my mind and quickly took an assessment of what I was going to do that day. Exploring is probably my only choice unless someone comes by and tells me where I can get a bath. I got up off the soft, still looking very inviting bed set off towards the door which I found was a little open. _Someone must have come by so I could get out I _thought. I set off in the direction I thought I had come from when I first arrived. It was a satisfying walk with the sun was shining so brightly, it seemed that everything that was going to happen in the coming months was just a bad dream. _Nothing to be afraid of right now…. But that's not how it's going to seem in the months to come._ I thought sadly again of all the lives that were going to be destroyed, how Frodo wouldn't the same cheerful hobbit ever again. _And Boromir… he'll never live to see his city restored. Maybe I wasn't fair to him before, he must be under such a terrible burden. Not that he'd let just anyone see that._ That thought made me laugh, at how stubborn all men were.

After some time I found myself back in the courtyard I had arrived in the last afternoon. Unlike yesterday, I was immediately curious of where the other paths that led around the buildings led to. I choose the one which seemed to lead down towards the river more. The pathway was still paved for a short distance, but at one point fell away to compacted dirt. Soon I found myself at the stables. They were made of the same pure, white wood as the rest of Rivendell, but the smell and open stalls made them easy to identify. I had never ridden a horse before and I thanked God that my current form would prevent me from having to learn. Most of the horses became a little skittish as I walked around the stable so I hurried away so they wouldn't hurt themselves. _I wonder why Boromir's horse didn't mind me the night before last?_ Just another unwanted question to throw on the pile. Valentine

I finally came upon the bank of the river. It was clear like the ponds and streams I had come across before in Middle Earth. It looked so inviting with a gentle current I could float to. Without another thought I leapt in. It wasn't as freezing as I had originally expected and it was nice to wash off the grim of the road. _Look at me. One day on of walking and I'm acting like it's the end of the world. I can't expect to wash everyday like I did back home._ But the water felt so good that I closed my eyes and let myself drift down the river. _Hmmm maybe I shouldn't get too far away… but this is so nice, just to be alone._

Someone snort above me, but I still didn't open my eyes. "So now we have a big kitty cat to watch over?" A musical voice snorted again, but in a good natured way. I finally pulled back my eyelids to stare at the group of male elves standing on the bank. I worked my muscles and paddled towards them before I got too much farther.

"I am not a big kitty cat my good sir," I said standing up on the dry bank, and proceeded to shake out my fur. Effectively drenching the elves that had crowded around me. For some reason this made them laugh even more in those sweet musical tones. _I could listen to that for an hour straight._

"My apologies madam, but what are you doing down here so far from the house?" asked the elf that had addressed me before. He was dressed in green as were most of the others. His fair, blond hair seemed almost white in the sunlight. His face like most of the others gathered around me was handsome, though by the

"I just like soaking, but now I think I should follow you back," I said to all those present. Again they laughed at me.

"Well you will have to wait for a while longer, we must bag the main dish for tonight's feast before we head back," Another elf explained. "Since you are such a fierce creature, maybe you should do the work for us," he laughed. I shifted uneasily at that comment… _should I tell them I don't know how to hunt? Honesty is usually the best to go about things…_

I sighed, "My last attempt at hunting didn't go too well," I confessed. This produced even more laughter from the group around me and my face would have turned a beet red if it wasn't covered in fur. _I should just melt into the river._

"I am sorry again, it is so strange to hear such a confession from a creature as large as you. For an apology we will teach you the best we can," The leader smiled. It was a nice, comforting smile. It wasn't as intimidating as some of the others in his band.

For the next hours of that day and for most days after that I learned how to hunt from that band of kind elves. Their leader, Gawin, said that most beings originally studied the hunting tactics of other predators and so he might be able to teach me to be a predator as well. Day after day I would slink through the forest floor, trying not to trip on the underbrush. At night normally I would hang out with my new hobbit friends and play games with them. They were cheerful enough to make me forget the seriousness of what was to come.

I was finding the art of stealth easy after all the repetition. Making the kill was more difficult. My aim was normally off, but as time passed I found that I could snap the spine of my target too. It felt so good to be bonding with this small band of elves. They would tease me a lot, but I could tell that as time passed they were becoming fonder of me as well. We would all walk down together in the mornings, joke, and sometimes one of them would sing a happy tune. Though none of them had that bass vocal I had heard on my first night, it was enjoyable to listen to the fair race sing. Sometimes I would feel completely outclassed, but these skilled hunters, they would always notice this provide me with the confidence to keep on trying. I especially grew close to Gawin. He would normally take me with him to find game. We would talk about almost anything during those days under the canopy of trees. I don't think I was ever this happy back home.

I was improving everyday as I practiced with Gawin till one day I found a large boar grazing on who knows what. Gawin turned to me, "Let's see if you have improved at all since we've meet."

I turned away from Gawin and started survey the ground between myself and that boar. The boar had taken no notice of me yet so I started to slink behind him. I had almost made it to him when a squirrel started chattering in the tree beside me. I didn't pay much attention to it till the boar lifted up his head to the chattering. _Is that squirrel trying to warn him? _

The boar turned around, but didn't seem to catch sight of me yet. He went back to foraging in the dry leaves. I got close enough to jump the last bit onto his back. My claws came out from my paw in anticipation. The squirrel had stopped chattering now, giving up hopefully. In my confidence of this kill I let my tail shoot up to balance me as I would jump. What I hadn't noticed was the low hanging branch. The leaves rustled and I saw this as do or die so I leapt onto the boar's back just as he turned to catch the perpetrator of the noise. My claws sunk into back muscle and my teeth into the fur above his spine. He started thrashing around and his tusk gazed my side. I adjusted my grip on his back, the boar felt this and went crazy trying throw me off. My last boar had been smaller than me; this one was definitely bigger. I gripped his neck in desperation trying to get a chance to sink my fangs deeper. I felt the tusk finally sink in my side then pull out and plunge back in. I couldn't take it anymore so I retracted one claw from the boar's skin and slashed it across its neck. It squealed in alarm and stopped thrashing for a split second. I used this time to sink my fangs around its spinal cord. I clamped my jaw down as hard as I could, but the bone would not snap. _What is it? Titanium?_ I thought wildly, having more adrenaline in my system than I had ever experienced before. I gave up trying to snap the spine and just focused on keeping ahold on him. _Maybe I can suffocate him_. The boar was still trying to shake me off, but I could tell he was losing energy. His tusk gave me a few more good gashes before he finally collapsed. The pig kept on gasping, trying to draw in air, but utterly failing. Finally his breathing stopped altogether and I let go and stood up gingerly. I examined my body, it had left a good score on my belly. There was an unhealthy amount spewing out. Looking at my kill again I felt something come over me. I bit into the boar's side and started eating the meat raw. It tasted so delicious, better than anything I had experienced before. It was as orgasmatic as I had once thought dark chocolate to be.

"Elita!" I heard Gawin, but I paid no attention to his call. I felt a hand pull me back from the meat, "You can eat it when the cooks have prepared it," He laughed at eagerness. Gawin pat me on the back for the kill, then my senses completely returned and I fell over from the release of the strain. I heard Gawin call for the other elves, but I was out before they reached me.

I woke up in my room with Gawin's band around me. They looked at me when I opened my eyes, laughed at my silliness, and told I better not do it again. They had to carrying my insanely heavy body all the way back.

"What whiners you old maids are," I laughed with them. It felt so good to be a part of something here. The rest left and only Gawin remained, "You did a great job out there Elita," he smiled.

"The boar will be ready to eat in a couple hours, but I asked the cooks to leave a rare piece for you," he said teasing me about my bizarre behavior back in the forest. _It must not seem strange to him._

"Thanks Gawin. Did I pass the test?" I replied hopefully, not knowing if he saw fainting the same as failing. He laughed again, with the same musical tones.

"Yes with flying colors, I'll leave you to get some rest now," he smiled and left.

I looked down at my body and saw the dried blood all across my belly._ I don't feel any different. Shouldn't I? I must be more durable in this form_. I had thought before I passed out that the boar had done more damage.

There was no way I was just going to lay in here with blood all over my belly so I got up and found my way back to the back of the river. The sun was starting to sink in the sky and there were many shades of red and orange reflected on the water's surface. Who would be sitting there letting his horse drink from that liquid fire other than Boromir son of Denethor. I had hardly seen him since I had arrived at Rivendell, I had assumed he must have been glad to be rid of me.

"Hmm is the cat going to steal the drink from my horse?" he asked mildly.

"There's enough water for him to drink and me to wash," I replied. I glanced at my face before I got into the river. My eyes were lit up from the dying rays that they appeared amber. _I look like a normal tiger now._ The thought made me feel weird like I was losing some humanity.

I carefully got into the river downstream from the horse so he didn't get my blood. Boromir's horse had been nicer to me than his master and I had no reason to make his drink bitter with blood.

"What did you do to yourself?" Boromir asked. He seemed to be actually surprised at the color of my underside.

"I had a tussle with a boar," I replied. I grinned and carried on, "Larger than the one you took down. It should be ready for tonight."

"Really? I will have to inspect this legendary beast for myself," He said laughing. The sincerity in his smile almost took my breath away. I had never seen him smile before and I noticed his entire face would be put into it and he would be glowing afterwards. I smiled back…. _This is a turn of events._ I then felt that nagging feeling, like I was forgetting something.

I had soaked all of the blood out of fur so I got up back on the bank, shook off away from him, and decided to not stop this moment by leaving. I sat next to him. We didn't speak, but it was nice. I'm not sure if it was a cosmic moment, but sitting next to him made me feel more stable in this world that was not my own. We both just sat there, silently appreciating the sunset before us. The bank was covered in soft grass and I rubbed my paw over it. _Just like shag carpet_. I was so engrossed in lovely grass that I almost didn't notice when Boromir started scratching my ears. His hand was calloused, but his moments gentle. I closed my eyes and leaned into his hand. RRRRRRRR…my eyes snapped open_ I just purred for Boromir?_ He didn't even seem to notice my purring. He was watching his horse continue to drink from the stream. _That's because to him, you're just another animal _my mind reasoned. _It's not the thought of purring for Boromir that disgusts me, but it's that he would never touch me if I was human._ I realized the course that my heart was beginning to take and it was tearing me up. I got up, though I didn't wish to._ He's going to die for goodness sake! What happens when he's dead and you have feeling for him?_ I berated myself.

"I was supposed to meet the hobbits awhile ago," I heard myself lie, "I better go look for them." Boromir looked up at me surprised. I made the mistake of looking directly into his eyes. I almost got lost in their soft gray depths. I was only released from his spell when he blinked to composed himself; and then he just nodded and told me I would see him at dinner.

I turned around feeling something stir deep within me that I hadn't felt in a long time. A feeling I was afraid to name in the fear of it taking control of me. _There is no reason to feel alarmed, it's just hormones, you still have human feelings _a voice in the back of my head told me. Still, I had to hold myself back from sprinting up the trail to find the hobbits.

When I reached the house I tried to dig into my memory to remember how reach the hobbits, but every corner and open window looked like the rest. I had to get directions twice, but I eventually found all four of them sitting at a table in the dining hall. _They never seem to stop eating._ They turned to see me and invited me over. Being with them the rest of the night made me feel so much better after my encounter with Boromir. They kept me busy and my mind off of things it shouldn't be pondering. I did see him at the feast, but He didn't look my way. That was just fine with me; if I saw those gray eyes again I do something that I'd regret later.

The rest of the night passed smoothly with song, music, and eating. I heard many different races sing a song or two, but none of the voices matched the one I heard my first night. Too soon the hobbits walked back to their rooms, and kindly guided towards mine. I lay down on the soft mattress and wrestled with my mind the rest of the night.

The next morning I was as refreshed as I could be, from the less than restful night. An escort came to my room and informed me that my presence was requested at a council that had been planned for today. _Nobody told me that __The Council__ was today! _ I jumped up to follow the elf. Of course, it was supposed to be a secret.

He led me to an open platform where there were many people seated in a circle. It was entirely in the open air with a light airy breeze drifting through. I saw that Elrond was at the head and recognized many faces all around. My escort left me there as Elrond motioned me to have a seat on an extra large cushion that had been brought in. I was basically under the chin of Frodo who looked like he was going to be ill. Gandalf was next to him looking as grim as ever. I looked around at the other faces trying to catch who was who. I saw Boromir who did not meet my eyes as I had walked in. I almost wish he had so I could show myself it didn't matter. After a night of soul searching I decided that what was to come would come when it wanted to and I should just take comfort in the time I would have with these people. There could be time for grief and pain before the end, but that doesn't mean I have to bow down to history.

Back to the council, I saw one main who looked more weary than the others, yet he looked younger than them in the face. He was dressed in dark clothes that were clearly elven, but he was of the race of man. I assumed this to be Aragorn son of Arathorn, who would look so old and young at the same time? I looked at the other elves present, all were very fair in the face, but I picked out Legolas only because I had seen him before. Gimli was there too along with his other brethren that had tried to attack me.

Elrond started to speak and I was surprised at how the words came back to me, like I was a child again reading and watching the LOTR. Even though I knew what words he was going to saw next didn't take away from my awe over being here. It was amazing, I came in here a twenty-year old and this council had turned me back into a child. Who was a _fanatic_. I turned back to the council's words as the argument was breaking out about who would take the Ring into Mordor. Almost everyone was standing up and threatening the ones around them. I looked to Frodo who looked so conflicted. I knew he wanted to go back to the Shire, but fate had a bigger plan for him. I picked up myself and laid my head on his lap. He looked jolted, but smiled at me nonetheless.

I smiled back at him, "Do what you gotta do." He nodded and I removed my head so that he could stand up.

"I will take it!" He shouted above the voices, "I will take it!" All heads turned towards Frodo now. "Though I do not know the way," He finished. Boromir looked over at me and finally met my eyes. I smiled at his silent question.

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins," Gandalf spoke up first, "As long as it is yours to bear."

The rest of the soon-to-be-fellowship fell into place and pledged their loyalty to Frodo. I stood up before Elrond could speak and stood beside Frodo.

"I will be coming with you, my dear friend," I told him. I looked back to Elrond, "This is my path and I will fulfill whatever plan the Valar have for me," I stated more to Elrond than the rest of the council. I could see Elrond's eyes soften and he nodded.

"Ten companions. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring,"

"Right… Where are we going?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers. I'm sorry this was so late, but college was making me a little more busy than normal. Even now I should be studying, but I don't want to.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR or Phantom of the Opera or anything else really… though I wish I did.**

**And now what you really came for.**

**Chapter 5**

The rest of the day was blissfully uneventful. I ate with the funny hobbits again and we talked for a long time on what they thought was going to lie ahead. I kept my mouth shut on the particulars of what we were going to do and opted to only tell them that they were going to get hungry a lot. The moon rose and the hobbits led me back to my room and bid me goodnight. I was all alone. _It's probably better since I am sponsoring these romantic notions about Boromir. I'm not even human for heaven's sake._

Those thoughts weighed heavily on my mind as I fell onto my bed. I rolled over and closed my eyes listening to the crickets chirping outside. Out of the nighttime ambiance I heard a voice rise up in song. It was the one I heard the first night I had been here. _Now that's what I would want my lover to sound like_. I was immensely curious as to whom this voice belonged to, but I was also very tired. I opted to just enjoy it as a lullaby as I drifted off to sleep. Knowing that tomorrow would mark the start of my journey.

I woke up the next morning to a knock on my door. I sat up and climbed out of bed to see who it is.

"Come in, it's always open," I said. The door swung open to reveal Gawin standing there. He looked a little flustered.

"I came to say goodbye," He looked into my eyes and I felt my throat constrict.

I swallowed back my rising tears as I knew he would probably sail to the undying lands.

"It doesn't have to be," He smiled, "You can always come back to see me afterwards." If I'm here was the unspoken part of his attempt to make it easier.

"I hope I will be able to," I said sadly. He had become somewhat of a father to me and this was goodbye hurt worse than saying goodbye to my real father,mostly because I had to do it in person

"I don't think even a Ringwraith could stop those claws," He joked, but I could tell he was sad to see me go. In a rare act of emotion, Gawin sank down on his knees and hugged me tightly around my neck. I returned the hug the best I could by putting a paw around his back. Too soon he broke away and stood by the door.

"Safe journeys to you, Elita," He said. There was a look on his face, but I couldn't tell what it meant. I returned the gesture and he was gone. I bit back tears that his abrupt good-bye had brought to my eyes. _Why didn't he stay longer?_

Before I could worry about getting anything to take with me, all four hobbits came to my door and announced that everyone was ready to leave. They were all four dressed in their traveling cloaks with packs hanging off their shoulders. Or in Sam's case, multiple packs.

It looked like the company had all gathered in the courtyard that Boromir and I had originally arrived in. The thought almost made me wish we could go back to that time. Soon everything was going to get a lot more complicated, not that it wasn't already.

Elrond was there giving final farewells and blessings on the journey. I looked around this fresh group of travelers and realized that Aragorn was not with the group. I turned in three hundred sixty degrees and yet I still could not find him. Not in this group or the group that was slowly pouring into the courtyard. The elves of Rivendell were cramming the courtyard to see the company before it headed out.

Then I caught a glimpse of Arargorn in the shade of a pathway nearby. There seemed to be a woman talking to him. _He must be saying goodbye to Arwen… That's a tender moment I do not want to run in on_ I thought as more and more elves were wishing us all farewell. I was currently being given a wider berth than the rest of my companions.

Finally Gandalf motioned for all of us to follow and we started heading out. At the last moment Aragorn detached himself from the crowd to step along aside Gimli. Dessed now in his ranger attire, he looked a lot more like I had pictured him. Being tall, having dark shaggy hair, and a weathered cloak really suited him. _A rugged mountain man… well sort of._

Aragorn contrasted greatly with the dwarf beside him. While Aragorn was tall, Gimli was short with stubb,y little legs. _Though he'd chop off mine if I ever said that._ His red beard was very intricately woven into braids and went down passed his chest. His armor was very bulky, but had on it many interesting designs. Over all he was just the stocky character I had thought about when I had read the books.

A few feet in front of them was Legolas. He was very good looking… that's all I can say. With that handsome face and that thin outfit… yep. Too bad I wasn't into the pretty boy type. Not that I had any delusions about finding love like that **thing** said. Boromir was making my hormones go crazy enough as it was.

At the head of our group was Gangalf… what can I say about Gandalf. Just like that cute old man type, but with a long gray beard and a long grey cloak. He seemed just like a grandfather, steering our group in the right direction. _Wish he could have steered me a little clearer. But even he couldn't know what the Valar are thinking._

The hobbits were, as always,s very cheerful. Well, as cheerful as you can be if you're walking to a volcano. Merry and Pippin were taking turns pestering Sam. Frodo, in turn was making jokes about Merry and Pippin. It was quite comical and very heart-warming.

I was trying not to stare at my last unmentioned, fellow traveler. He was still in his Gondorian clothes and chainmail. His grey eyes did not turn to look at me while we were walking. Nor did he drop back from the front to walk with me. He was still the same enigma that I had traveled the day with to Rivendell. Not talking to anyone in particular or showing any emotion. _He'll open up soon I'm sure._

And so he did over the next few days. Not that he talked to me or anything, but he'd start joking with Merry and Pippin. Would give advice on which path we should travel, all in all becoming pretty sociable.

Me on the other hand…. I was the queen of being awkward to all except Gandalf and the hobbits. Gandalf just made me feel calm and was very fatherly. The hobbits… I had spent so much time with them already, so what was there to be awkward about?

Eventually I got more comfortable around all of them, minus Boromir. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli may have seemed intimidating at first, but they tolerable me. I would try to help Aragorn hunt, though most of the time he would make the kill before me.

I did manage to** find** a nice sized rabbit once and even more amazing… I caught it, but that's about all I managed to do. Aragorn seemed to have a different presence than Gawin did when we were hunting together. Gawin would talk to me, while Aragorn be silent as the grave. Gawin was cheerful and Aragorn was intense. Once he made the kill though; he'd talk to me on our way back. Then when we'd make it back to camp he'd tell stories to the hobbits and me. Stories of the Eldar days and basically all the things I had missed when I had never finished The Silmarillion.

The days seemed to drag on and we kept our pace. I had never walked this much in my life so it took some getting used to. We marched over vast plains of short grass and crossed enormous boulders. At night I would curl up with the hobbits to keep them warm and they could keep me up with their rolling around. It wasn't bad though, it was really cute. I, who has no motherly instincts at all, was keeping watch over these hobbits like they were my cubs.

Every night though, I would lie down and try to remember the voice I had heard singing back in Rivendell. I had become quite infatuated with it, almost like I had when I would watch _The Phantom of the Opera._ I didn't ever care to meet the singer particularly, but I loved that voice. It was nice to dream.

One day we reached a rocky outcrop and took a noon meal there. It was a beautiful day and everyone was in a good mood, but I kept feeling déjà vu while I was sitting there. Sam was cooking some food for Frodo. Gandalf and Gimli were arguing over how to get to Mordor. Boromir was teaching Merry and Pippin how to fight while Aragorn looked on and gave advice. It looked like they were all enjoying this.

I spotted Legolas sitting by himself over on one of the large boulders that the dotted hill. I walked over and plopped down about a foot away from him. It made me nervous to be around him. I had never been good at talking to attractive men and with him being an elf it made it that much harder. Gimli made you feel comfortable around him, by teasing you. But there was something that was so intimidating about Legolas.

This thought process was playing out in my mind all the while he just stared out across the landscape. _Maybe I should break the ice._

"I'm sorry for scaring you and your kinsmen back in Rivendell," I blurted out. _Why yes, that was a great way to start a conversation._ Unfortunately for me, I couldn't melt into the earth to escape my awkwardness.

Surprisingly, Legolas responded back, "I wasn't so much scared for me as I was for those around you… I'm still afraid for those around you," he finished and his honestly took me back. He finally turned towards me and narrowed those emerald eyes of his.

"W-what do you mean by that?" I asked, completely bewildered. He seemed to tower over me, as menacing as a Balrog, but as fair as only elves can be.

"You who seem to know so much about this tale already. You who could be an agent of Mordor under our very noses," he spelled it out for me.

"Elrond trusts me… he saw me in his foresight. He thought I had a reason to be here," I managed to stammer out.

Legolas took a long hard look at me, "Even so, I don't think I can trust you." I stared back at him. _Well that I guess is to be expected, I'll bet everyone is a little on edge with me around._

"Thank you for the honesty, but I can assure you, I want this mission to succeed as much as you do," I said, attempting to sound reassuringly.

Legolas's stare never changed, "You may be sincere in your intentions, but that doesn't prove anything."

I took a deep sigh, "Are you wanting me to just leave? I'm sure Gandalf explained everything that I told him…"

"… which is precisely why none of us can be sure if having you here is the right choice." Legolas simply stood up and started walking away from me. A thought occurred to me _He means I could be screwing things up, 'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.' My existence here could screw up the storyline_

_Maybe he's right and I shouldn't be here with them…_ The rest of the company continued to relax as I continued to brood. Just then:

"Crebain from Dunland!"

"Hide!"

_Oh shit_ was my one thought as I realized why this terrain had looked so familiar. I jumped up on my feet and scrambled towards to cover of the bush nearest to me. _Why didn't I see this coming? Idiot!_

I watched as the dark flock flew right over where our camp had been moments before. Gandalf who had been crouching behind a boulder came out, "The passage south is being watched," He turned towards the Misty Moutains, "We must take the Pass of Caradhras!"

There were objections, many in fact, but everyone trusted Gandalf wisdom even more than their own. Boromir made the suggestion for everyone to haul firewood up with us. Of course it was as much as one could carry, so I had more than everyone else. Though I shouldn't be complaining, Bill seemed worse off than I was, carrying supplies and firewood.

We climb and we climb and we climbed some more, but it didn't seem like we'd ever even get halfway. Every night the hobbits would curl up next to my side and I would try to provide what warmth I could that our small fire could not. Everyday these poor creatures would try their hardest to get through this frozen terrain. It was taking a huge toll on them. Pippin's limbs seemed to be turning blue all the time and Sam's face was riddled with cracks.

Soon a blizzard started and our groups' travel pace slowed till it was non-existent. I felt like my limbs and tail were frozen off by now, It must have so much worse for the others. Ice had permanently formed underneath my paws and my fur felt a hundred times heavier with the added weight of the water. In my stupidity, I complained about it. Till Boromir pointed out that I had a lot more insulation than everyone else.

I'm not sure what happened or why that triggered such a strong response in me, but I snapped. "What? Am I fat or something?" If I could I would have taken those words completely back, but now all I could do was think _Crap._

Boromir turned back to me and his expression now turned to full out distust."You are a large animal with a layer of fur and fat. The hobbits are half-lings with only their cloaks and clothes," Now his tone was like he was talking to a child. _I guess that's what I sound like to a real warrior._ Boromir turned smartly and continued to follow Gandalf. My voice caught in my throat as I digested his retort. _I need to stop acting like a pathetic child. I should be acting like a twenty-year old._ Looking over at the hobbits made me feel ten times worse. They were so small and all of their faces were red. Their noses were even turning blue. Swallowing my pride I clamped my mouth shut and kept on marching.

Finally we had to make a complete halt to our journey. The wind was blowing fiercely and the snow was falling rapidly. I could barely see five feet in front of me. _At this rate we'll be covered_. I'm not sure how Gandalf had kept us on the path up to this point. I felt like I was about to fall off the side of the mountain.

For the fire we had to put the last of our wood in. I watched as everyone tried their hand at getting the wood burning, but it was too wet from the snow. Gimli and Boromir were grumbling and tempers were starting to boil over.

I looked over to the hobbits who were violently shivering. I walked over and tried to block the wind as best I could. I bit my lip from the ice I felt start to creep through my fur onto my skin. Gandalf finally put an end to the wet firewood and blasted it. It caught instantly and went up a strange flame.

"Now I've let all who care to see that Gandalf is here," he said wearily. His face was more lined than ever and his gray beard had turned white with the snow.

The company all sat around the meager fire, trying to keep warm. It was an impossible storm that refused to let up. _Isn' t this Saurman? What will happen to us if he keeps up this storm? Or more like what will happen to us if Gandalf doesn't turn around soon. He always did before… why hasn't he yet?_

A voice jarred me out of my thoughts, "Elita?" it was Frodo, "Are we going to make it off the mountain?"

"Yeah, we will," my voice trembled betraying the fact that I wasn't completely sure anymore_. I should try to keep his mind off of the cold._ A random thought occurred to me, "What are you planning to do once you destroy the ring?"

"Well I'll go back to the Shire of course," he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'll write down this whole adventure too." He smiled and cracked his lip. It started to bleed. A delicious smelled wafted up my nostrils. My mouth started to produce saliva; it was such a sweet smell. I shook my head out and returned the smile. _What the heck?_

Of course I didn't have time to linger at the oddity of my body's reaction. My ears perked up as they caught just then my ear picked up a weird sound. _Like someone chanting._ Legolas was already standing up and turning his head to hear better. My eyes widened. _Not again…_

"There is a fell voice on the air."

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf exclaimed.

I was frozen, like my body really was made of ice. Aragorn and Boromir had rushed over and picked up the hobbits, two each, and I was still frozen where I stood. Gimli came out of nowhere and roughly shoved me to the side as the first part of the boulders fell onto our campsite.

"What good are you if you get killed too quickly?" Gimli yelled in my ear. We were now all pressed up again the side of the mountain waiting for this unnatural disaster to cease. Large amounts of snow had by now covered the entire company. As we all pushed free of the rubble I turned to Gimli, "Thank you, I..."

"Don't mention it lass," He cut me off and I swallowed the rest of my gratitude. _Now I've just proven that I can't take care of myself._

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the West road to my city." Boromir exclaimed as he held onto Merry and Pippin.

Aragorn looked at him wildly, "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!"

"If we cannot go over the mountain, let us go under it," Piped in Gimli," Let us go through the mines of Moria." He talked to Gandalf who's face darken at the mention of the name.

Gandalf sighed and the dark look was replaced with a weary one, "Let the Ringbearer decide." All now turned towards Frodo. He looked frightened at the prospect of all this attention. His eyes wandered around onto all of our faces. He battled with himself for a few more seconds before he said…

"We will go through the mines."

**Well review... don't review. Just do what you wanna do.**


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